Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £16,410 to £25,800
Fantastically good to drive, fuel efficient, distinctive looks, five-star NCAP crash test score
Rear-drive layout means less space inside, more expensive than class rivals
In a class that tends toward the worthy and dull, here is a feelgood car with a real difference
In 2004, BMW brought premium brand prestige to the small family class with the launch of the 1-Series.
Competing against the Golf, A3 and high-spec Focus and Astra models, this littlest BMW, with its rear-wheel drive and longitudinally mounted engine, is designed to be the most sporting hatchback in a sector dominated by front-drivers.
After launching with a five-door variant only, after 200,000 sales and nearly three years, BMW has added a three-door version with a number of modifications to the exterior design and, more significantly, under the bonnet, tweaking the engines to get additional power and better fuel efficiency.
Latest Readers' Drives About the BMW 1-Series
wrote on 10 10 2007
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wrote on 20 06 2006